The price of salt and big onions has escalated. This is normal in the agriculture sector even under any efficient administration because of the change in the weather patterns, says W. D. J. Seneviratne, Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs.

He expressed these views at a ceremony held to declare open the new two-story building at the Kalawana divisional secretariat.

“The big onions were imported from India to fill in the shortage of big onions in the country. But at present big onions can’t be imported even from India because they too don’t have the necessary stock that we need. This is due to the heavy rains experienced in India. This shortage can’t be overcome by blaming our politicians or our president,” he added.

Essential commodities should always be available for the people through proper management of agricultural yields, holding good stocks in co-operatives in storage, frozen or otherwise. People cannot be left to starve. It is easy to blame the weather. Bad weather has always been there. What is the jumbo cabinet doing to plan ahead for the future by proper management of food yields during bumber harvests in a country so fertile, unlike India and Pakistan?

It is easy for a minister to make such inane comments as he can still buy food to feed his family with his big salary and perks even in hard times. It is the common folk that have to starve if they cannot find the money with high cost of living. His attitude stinks! Selling a few lorry loads of coconuts at reduced price here and there in the country is eyewash. People are not duped because most people cannot buy coconuts cheap. There has been no long-term planning for the coconut industry by the ministers in charge of it. They sit on their fat ar..s and enjoy life at public expense with not a care in the world.

MR government is now losing its touch with all the dead wood, sycophants and hangers-on in the over-sized jumbo cabinet enjoying fat salaries. These politicians are fair-weather friends. MR made a big mistake in creating jumbo cabinet to surround himself with. For what? To please his ego? To deplete the opposition? It is a disaster! The poor are getting poorer. The poor who voted MR in with a 2/3rd majority are suffering. They had high hopes in him to solve the problems of the rural people, to meet their basic needs. It is a crying shame that MR is now neglecting them. His Mahinda Chintanaya has forgotten to serve the common man who elected him. It is no use dishing out empty rhetoric daily by MR and ministers. People want to see action, such as going out into the rural areas to meet the people to identify and solve their basic needs. Public money is wasted daily by ministers in the government enjoying themselves while the common man has to struggle daily the burden of daily grind. The government of MR has now become a barakaraththayak with the common man as gonnu pulling the barakaththaya!

Wake up MR and your jumbo cabinet! Otherwise the enemies of Mother Lanka will win the day. They are already sharpening their claws to get at you. They are waiting at the door.

The best job is a minister’s post. You are set for life with a fat pension. The whole family will benefit at state expense. They will have several luxury houses and several luxury cars. Through corruption they will rake-in the wealth and roll in it. This is the same with politicians in Tamil Nadu and in India. Our politicians copy them. They have no morality. They will offer puja to various gods and godesses, and offer dana to temples for the whole world to see, how good they are! Only God sees how evil they are. When they die they cannot take their wealth with them. They will suffer for all eternity in hell for their evil deeds.

One minister’s son is making 250 million rupees a month by selling sand from Negombo coast. He is running a 24 hour mega operation with police and official support, bought through corruption. Does this minister care about the damage to the coastal belt, erosion etc.? Does he care for the plight of the people and hotels in this area as they are swept into the sea through erosion? This minister and his family care only about themselves. They are selfish, they are evil.

Hon President has ordered the police and the coastal protection authority to stop it. How can they stop it when a powerful minister is behind it? Why cannot the President act fast himself by sacking the minister concerned, and ordering the IGP and the relevant authorities to arrest all those involved, confiscate all the equipment used in this business, impose heavy penalties on the culprits with no mercy, seize all the money earned unlawfully and all their assets. Such money and assets should then be implemented to re-structure the damaged coastal belt and to pay compensation to those people who were affected.

I challenge the Hon President to act meaningfully like this with power, instead of uttering empty rhetoric, and to set a good and noble example to the whole country.